UNH Looks to Change Campus Culture Around Cinco de Mayo With New 'Unity Day'

Officials at the University of New Hampshire are hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s racially charged Cinco de Mayo celebrations with a new community service event this Saturday.

Images of UNH students partying in sombreros and ponchos on Cinco de Mayo last year set off a firestorm of controversy that brought national attention to the Durham campus.

It also spurred a year of soul-searching at the university about how to make minority students and faculty feel more welcome.

UNH is hoping a new community service event called Unity Day will be a step in that direction. On Saturday students will clean up outdoor areas on campus and around town. The school hopes the day will become a tradition that it hopes will ultimately change the climate that currently surrounds Cinco de Mayo on campus.

Author Debby Irving's memoir, "Waking Up White" serves as inspiration for New Hampshire's Oyster River community, as it reflects on tough questions about race and tolerance. The discussions come after incidents revealing discrimination and racism, in an area where many believed they had the best intentions. We examine how a state like New Hampshire, that is mostly white, fits into the national narrative of racial strife, now and in the past.

It's been nearly five months since a racist bullying incident shocked the Oyster River School District community.

Parents and school administrators met Wednesday to talk about what's been done in response, and priorities going forward.

It was this past September when a 7-year old black student was bullied with racist language while riding the school bus home. The incident shocked many, including Oyster River Superintendent Jim Morse.